West Nile virus claims life of Firestone man

Jack Mitchell, seen in this undated photo, passed away from complications of West Nile Virus on Sunday, Aug. 25.
(Courtesy Photo)

Editor's note: The original version of this article stated that Jack Mitchell was a Longmont resident. Mitchell was a Firestone resident who owned a business in the Longmont and had lived in the city for many years.

LONGMONT -- A Firestone resident is the first in the state to die from West Nile virus this year, said Mark Salley, a Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment spokesman.

Jack Mitchell, 81, went to the Longmont United Hospital emergency room Aug. 17 with a fever and died Sunday from West Nile meningitis and encephalitis, according to his family.

Mitchell's niece Betsy Hanlin said her uncle was "perfectly healthy" before his fever began Aug. 17.

"He did not have one health problem before this," Hanlin said. "At 81 years old, the only pill he took was a vitamin."

Doctors mentioned that West Nile was a possibility the day after Mitchell was admitted to the emergency room but did not officially diagnose him until Wednesday, Hanlin said.

Every day was a little worse, Hanlin said, until paralysis crept through his body, eventually stopping his heart.

As of Monday, there have been 67 human cases of West Nile virus reported in the state this year, Salley said.

That includes three cases were reported in Weld County over the past three days. That increased the total in Weld County to seven, including Mitchell, said Eric Aakko of the Weld County Department of Public Health and Environment.

There is one case in Greeley, one in Windsor and five in southwest Weld County, Aakko said. Afternoon rain has created a recent spike in West Nile, Aakko said, and he expects reports to increase in the next several weeks as symptoms begin to appear.

Aakko advises residents to avoid standing water, use bug spray and be extra cautious between dusk and dawn, when mosquitoes are most active.

After his diagnosis, Mitchell's family started a Facebook page, facebook.com/JackMitchellsJourney, to help Mitchell's wife, Barbara, manage the overwhelming support the family received. The page was intended to channel support from local church members, family friends and others so that Barbara and Jack Mitchell could read the words of encouragement once Jack was back at home, Hanlin said.

The page also gives community members a place to cope together and encourage one another through their grief, she said.

Jack Mitchell was a Colorado native, a Longmont business owner and a former Longmont resident who was involved in New Creation Church as an usher and an addiction recovery group leader, Hanlin said.

Since Thursday, the page has received 358 likes and dozens of encouraging comments.

Barbara Mitchell posted on the page Sunday shortly after her husband's death stating, "he was the best husband a person could ask for."

A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday at New Creation Church, 737 Bross St., in Longmont.